Carragher says Conte could never do what Arteta has done at Arsenal

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Jamie Carragher has told The Overlap that he does not believe that Antonio Conte could do what Mikel Arteta has done at Arsenal, insisting that the Tottenham Hotspur boss is never thinking about the project.

Conte and Arteta obviously manage either side of the North London divide. The Italian secured the upper hand last season, with Spurs capitalising on the Gunners throwing away their top-four spot.

However, Arsenal have wrestled the momentum back this year. Arteta’s side lead the way in the Premier League, well clear of Manchester City. And given the age of their squad, it is likely that the Gunners have the foundations in place to remain amongst the heavyweights for some time.

Carragher says Conte couldn’t do what Arteta has done

Surprisingly, Tottenham find themselves out of the top-four. Many expected the club to kick on in Conte’s first full season in charge. He is someone who tends to get almost instant results. So it is ominous that he is still trying to make things work at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

Arteta was able to argue that he was building something during the tougher times at Arsenal. But Carragher does not believe that Conte will see Spurs’ current situation in a similar way.

“I don’t think Conte could do what Arteta has done, or Klopp, almost build it every year and getting better. Conte, he wants to win right now, he’s impatient. That’s why he loses his head in press conferences,” he told The Overlap.

“I don’t think it’s ever a project with Antonio Conte. And that’s not a criticism. He wants to win today, he’s not even thinking about tomorrow.”

Conte’s appointment was a statement of intent from Tottenham. They had previously enjoyed great success with a project manager in Mauricio Pochettino. But the Argentinian was ultimately unable to get them across the line when it came to silverware.

Jose Mourinho had a chance to lead them to that next step. However, his tenure was largely a disappointment.

Conte has threatened to move Tottenham back amongst the elite. Spurs have a Champions League knockout tie ahead.

But it probably does not help his cause when Spurs fans see how rapid Arsenal’s progress has been over the last 18 months.